Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts - Gizmodo Comments

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

ntrgc89 — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:05:06 EST

LOVED the picture, absolutely hilarious

ntrgc89

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

turbofreak — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:06:19 EST

god we are going to destroy ourselves. this is plain scary

turbofreak

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

tamoko — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:56:53 EST

..buy.. I can't spell for shit today.

tamoko

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

tamoko — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:56:02 EST

@Out2gtcha: i may just biy that domain... just for shits and giggles.

tamoko

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

schrosa — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:20:51 EST

It will use Heavy Liquid Naquadria as a power Source.

schrosa

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

ripfire — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:18:07 EST

No THAT is a good photoshop.

ripfire

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

lpranal — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:02:20 EST

Looks like google earth will have a new "people watcher" view added with these babies.

In all seriousness though, I'm failing to see how this will significantly alter the strategic balance in the superpowers. Either it produces a complete ICBM shield and the US dominates (not likely anyone would let this happen) or it gets hacked / new weapons are developed to defeat it, leaving mutually assured destruction, well, uhm.... assured.

lpranal

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

rileyjam514 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:00:37 EST

"...System F6, "DARPA's Future, Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft United by Information Exchange space technology program."

In other news, the professionals who will run a new DARPA system are attending D5 training this week. Said the director of the program, "D5 involves learning how to dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge while locating the exhaust port."

Sudden realization: if the Death Star were an organic life-form, then Luke's attack is the equivalent of stuffing it with an exploding butt-plug.

rileyjam514

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Out2gtcha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:56:38 EST

@tamoko:
Busty buddies?!?!

LINK! LINK! LINK!

Out2gtcha

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

tamoko — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:32:52 EST

...Busy bodies... Wow that was funny in an odd way. Busty buddies are something entirely different.

tamoko

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Sloth — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:31:56 EST

@Out2gtcha: April 19, 2011. New date for JUDGEMENT DAY! Watch the "Sarah Connor" Chronicles, and become a Believer! Believe in the machines!

Sloth

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

tamoko — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:29:50 EST

I can smell the orbital weapons platform goodness already... smells like licorice, fresh bread, and napalm.

DARPA is like the officially sanctioned mad scientist club for the US gov. Got to love those lab-coated bust bodies.

tamoko

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

nutbastard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:25:02 EST

@Out2gtcha:
d'oh!

nutbastard

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Xavoc — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:16:27 EST

@Barcard: F--- isn't a 6 letter word though.

Xavoc

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Barcard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:13:30 EST

OK, we see the diagram where the subsets "F6" and "Cluster Operations" intersect. That, my friends, is where this government project will terminate in a Cluster F---. A Wireless, Distributed, Networking Cluster F---. Or maybe 6 of them.

(Wish I could laugh like Bender.)

Barcard

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

s017jrs — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:05:31 EST

Their calendar only goes to 2012 because they ran out of space on the rock.

s017jrs

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Out2gtcha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:02:54 EST

@nutbastard:
Here ya go: r

I'll take that "t" and put it away for later usage and/or future misspellings.

Out2gtcha

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Out2gtcha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:19 EST

@nutbastard:
Woops here ya go: ,

Its that comma I left out between Mayans and Inca.

Oh yeah, s

forgot the S too.

Out2gtcha

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Xavoc — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:57:08 EST

@nutbastard: You've never heard of a Minca Coat? I think it's italian.

Xavoc

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Lester56 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:56:40 EST

They left out, "cloaking" and "self-replicating" from the specs. Yes, I miss DS9.

Lester56

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

nutbastard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:56:32 EST

@Out2gtcha:
also, there's no such thing as a Mayan Inca. There were Mayans, and there were Inca.

nutbastard

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

nutbastard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:55:15 EST

@Out2gtcha:
yes but everyone ELSE also knows that out calendar is off by 4 years... it IS 2012!

nutbastard

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Out2gtcha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:50:47 EST

@Sloth:

Pffffft Please. Everyone knows (Including Nostradamus and the Mayan Incas) that the end of the world is going to be (WRITE THIS DOWN):

DECEMBER 21st, 2012

Read it. Know it. Live it (at least until that date).

Out2gtcha

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Don Tobin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:49:57 EST

We're going to build these things, some alien race is going to be navigating through as usual with no intention of saying hi and notice we have fractional programmable spacecraft. Some alien script kiddie will then blast our Skynet with some zombie code and they'll cruise off with a swarm of earth-drones. No doubt they'll be used to rain destruction upon some unsuspecting emo-world invoking an inter-planetary counterstrike.

Centuries from now after Earth is but an anecdote in the annals of galactic history the most prominent contribution we will have made to interstellar civilization will be a new expletive - "Boeing" (painted on the sides of the drones).

Don Tobin

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

GiltProto — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:42:15 EST

Oh, I thought those were space hotels.

GiltProto

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Sloth — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:39:45 EST

Funny how the name "Skynet" is so appropiate for these satellites....mark your calendars February 20, 2009 as.... JUDGEMENT DAY!

Sloth

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

SeattleTed — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:33:00 EST

Well I'll run up to Everett and let everyone know that in lieu of the air tanker they'll be on the deathstar. Back in a minute.

SeattleTed

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Out2gtcha — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:26:42 EST

"Those are no moons."

Out2gtcha

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

RainyDayInterns — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:26:33 EST

Here is a helicopter swarm using four DraganFlyers....

[www.rainydaymagazine.com]

One will take over once the "object" enters its grid, but will work as a group since the grids overlap.

RainyDayInterns

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

IUSEAMACSOSUEME — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:25:19 EST

@wezelboy: The guy from "Future Weapons" just pitched one the size of the Burj Dubai.

IUSEAMACSOSUEME

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Xavoc — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:25:17 EST

@wezelboy: As opposed to power transfer via kinetic impact?

Xavoc

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Jimbuck — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:24:49 EST

Year Zero is fast approaching....be prepared!

Jimbuck

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Erwos — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:22:22 EST

Looks like a formation flying project. We used to specialize in this at my old company - it's cool stuff, but tricky to get right.

Erwos

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

wezelboy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:22:05 EST

I'm pretty sure "Wireless Power Transfer" is another way of saying "Particle Accelerator"

wezelboy

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Lupison — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:19:29 EST

I have just one word for this, "Replicators".

Lupison

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

greysky — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:10:39 EST

this is more like the borg

greysky

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

jetexas — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:08:40 EST

This is good as long as one least one of them has some extra oxygen tanks on board for those crazy space camp kids who accidentally launch the shuttle.

jetexas

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

innout3x3 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:03:00 EST

@IUSEAMACSOSUEME: I am going to the twinky factory in Natick on that day with Peter Griffin.

innout3x3

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

jewsrock — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:01:24 EST

you should've linked to the canned cheeseburger in the first paragraph where you wrote "canned food"

jewsrock

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

Xavoc — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:01:13 EST

So, as a group they'll look for Sarah Connor?

Xavoc

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

frigg — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:01:11 EST

This is in response to China's "secret" initiative to develop satellite disabling technology. In the military space race, a swarm could sustain individual losses.

frigg

Boeing to Design New DARPA's Networked Swarm Spacecrafts

IUSEAMACSOSUEME — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:58:41 EST

I like how they tried to sneak "Distributed Payload Operations" in there. Oh and by the way, you know that whole December 2012 thing....

IUSEAMACSOSUEME